KevMcCord

If I Used To Be Famous

Warning: Christian cynicism to follow.

If I used to be famous--especially if I had a colorful lifestyle--I'd have a simple strategy to get some new press.

I'd say something Christians would like.  Let's face it, we love it when someone with a past and a name acknowledges Christianity in a positive way.

It used to be that we elevated those famous ones who accepted Christ a bit too fast.  They sometimes fell really hard.

Today we just want the famous folks to say something nice about Christians or Christianity and we'll spread that like wild-fire.

Here's one example from Penn Frasier Jillet who encounters a prosletyzing Christian he admires.

Here's another example from Melissa Ethridge who meets Rick Warren and doesn't see hate.

Here's another example from a noted athiest about Christians in Africa whose contribution is not limited to the input of time and money, but also to the transference of faith.

On the plus side, these folks are seeing Christians whose lives are shining examples of Christian love and they are impressed.  They see this in spite of their personal beliefs and the caricature of Christianity pervasive in the media.

These stories are worth talking about for sure.  I hope the focus is less on the celebrity of the person making the observation and more on the consistent and compelling way the Christians who they encounter live their lives.

However, back to my cynical point.  If your press is slow and you represent a decidedly non-christian belief system then say something nice about Christians and we'll get your name back out there.

Church Planteristics

What are the characteristics of a church planter? 

You may be asked to join someone in a church plant as part of their team.  Pray about it, but also assess the person who is asking for your help.

1. Are people naturally drawn to them?  Are they open and approachable?

2. Do they share the gospel with people as a normal part of their daily lives or do they require a stage?

3. Do they have a clear and compelling vision for this church start?

4. Is their church plant a reaction to something or are they truly called to start something new?

5. Have they discipled (mentored) anyone and then sent them out?  What do those folks say about them?

6. Have they identified an area?  Will they plant their family there before they plant a church there?

7. Does their experience, education, and training indicate they know the range of church plant options and what may work given their target area and likely audience?

8. Can they articulate their vision so that other people get excited?  Are you excited?  Why are they asking you?

9. Are there church leaders and churches behind them?

10. Are they investing their lives into anyone?  Do they invite people into their lives and into their family?

11. Does the church plant represent a real risk and evidence they are relying upon God?

12. Have they proven their ability to tough it out when things take longer and are harder than expected?

13. What milestones have they already met?  What milestones are they striving to meet in the first 6 months, 12 months, and so on.

14. Could this person succeed in business if they weren't church planting.

15. What are they asking you to do?  Is it a wide open commitment?

I've never met anyone called to church plant that didn't have several of the above characteristics, but I wouldn't join the team unless they had MOST of what the above questions imply.

I'm also a bit surprised when people join their team with completely wide-open commitments.  I'm against most wide-open commitments.  If there is no goal in view, no objective measure of success, and no clear boundaries on participation the end is likely to be awkward if not painful. 

Here's a thought, why not begin a church plant with an objective date and a target or two that, if not met, will signal a major reconsideration of the strategy.

Something prayerfully arrived at like:

If we don't have 4 small groups with 12 people in each and an average weekly worship attendance of 100 people by year 2 we'll look at options including merging with another church.

One last thought.  Go ahead and leave your established church if you feel truly called to join someone's team.   How your church and your pastor react to your decision will tell you more about them than 5 years of sitting and serving there would.

Just know Church planting will be a tough, faith-challendging experience.  Remember, in the church planting metaphor the team is like seeds that get burried underground so the church can grow.  In that respect it's going to be dirty and you're going to feel smothered at times.  It'll be close quarters with the other seeds and you may not see daylight for quite some time.

Twitter Scenario 6

I recently learned to Twitter.  Twitter isn't immediately obvious, but it is incredibly useful.  Here is one scenario that might help you see the twitter possibilities.

Say you are trying to extend your small group relationships at church into the week for mutual encouragement and accountability.  Get other members of your group on Twitter and share updates throughout the week as you put into practice the things you discussed and learned as a group.  Who knows, others who follow your small group members may get in on it and grow your group.

Twitter Scenario 5

I recently learned to Twitter.  Twitter isn't immediately obvious, but it is incredibly useful.  Here is one scenario that might help you see the twitter possibilities.

Say your friend is going to see Barrack Obama's inauguration and that she has invitations to several key events.  If she twitters throughout the festivities you can get a first-person account of what takes place.  What if you don't have a friend like that?  You could probably search on Obama Inaguration and find someone who is there and follow them.

Twitter Scenario 4

I recently learned to Twitter.  Twitter isn't immediately obvious, but it is incredibly useful.  Here is one scenario that might help you see the twitter possibilities.

Say you just read an article or a book by someone amazing and that person Twitters.  Maybe that person is someone you might want to work for someday.  Maybe you're hoping to understand how they do what they do.  Maybe you just think they have an odd and interesting view of the world.  If you follow them on Twitter you will gain insights into what matters to them as well as how they spend their time.  It's basically a socially acceptable way to stalk someone.

Here are some famous people who twitter.

Twitter Scenario 3

I recently learned to Twitter.  Twitter isn't immediately obvious, but it is incredibly useful.  Here is one scenario that might help you see the twitter possibilities.

Say you are going to paint an orphanage in Guatemala.  Have team members tweet (post) throughout the day using #GuatTrip.  The Twitter programs for iPhones and other devices allow you to easily upload pictures at the same time.  There are many ways people who are NOT using twitter could follow your updates.

1. By RSS Subscription
2. By having your church webmaster pull the RSS feed and display it on the church site. 
3. By adding the RSS feed to a member's blog as a widget

4. By giving those interested in following your trip updates a link

Twitter Scenario 2

I recently learned to Twitter.  Twitter isn't immediately obvious, but it is incredibly useful.  Here is one scenario that might help you see the twitter possibilities.

Say you have 6 relatives working together on a family reunion.  Have their tweets (posts) sent to your mobile device as SMS messages and then agree to all post updates as you work through your part of the project.  All six stay informed.  A record is created.  Links to things they should all check out and weigh in on are shared.  Photos are uploaded.  They can all add the word #09reunion to each post to make it easier to search and fine tweets related to the effort.

Twitter Scenario 1

I recently learned to Twitter.  Twitter isn't immediately obvious, but it is incredibly useful.  Here is one scenario that might help you see the twitter possibilities.

Say you want to get into homeschooling your kids.  Do a twitter search on the word homeschool.  Locate and follow some folks who post interesting things about homeschooling.  As you follow these folks, make sure you follow the folks they refrence in their tweets (posts).

Remember, Twitter makes no sense if you don't follow people that you want to hear from.

MeetUp Church

It's just a matter of time until someone starts MeetUpChurch.com (Domain Available).

I imagine the church would use Twitter extensively to communicate.  A church without a building or even a regular rental.  A church where the worship service might happen at a park, a habitat for humanity construction site,at a homeless shelter or in a night club or at a movie theatre.  You find out the week before.

I imagine the church would either do portable Kids classes or rent a preschool on Sundays that is otherwise closed and earning $0.

I imagine the church might pipe in teaching from whatever amazing teacher is willing to get an honorarium for being "virtually there".  Surely they stream teaching.  Perhaps the MeetUps are taking place in 8 or 9 places at once.

I figure the leadership of this church is basically a bunch of worship creatives who love a high density urban area.  Maybe they decide to avoid the big-preacher-teacher-man-ceo model on purpose. 

They are supported by missional Christians who'd rather not be in endless church building campaigns.   Everyone would know that the web is used for things like tithing so that logistical things like handling money don't complicate the Meet-ups.

The church-in-a-box people think this is going to really catch on and they'll sell lots of trailers filled with the stuff you need to perform.  Ironically, these guys don't actually try to make the place they are in like an auditorium.  People stand a lot, bring their own chairs if they want, use what is there.  Sometimes worship is a cappella.  Sometimes it happens at home as people stream the team and sing along with their kids in preparation for going to the meet-up to do something not-churchy like clean-up a neighborhood.

Ironically, the website of this church is less important than you might think.  It's probably just a couple of pages explaining things and helping to make the average churchy person who visited aware that they probably wouldn't like it.  On the home page is the stream of twitter updates from everyone in the church.  Fowl language probably shows up now and then.  So what?

What would matter is that people follow @MeetUpChurch on Twitter.

MeetUp Church probably wouldn't have marketing slogan or tag line, but if they did it would be something like "Meet Up, Do Good"

I'd be MORE likely to go to this church.  I'd be doubly likely to want to participate in starting this church with the right team of people with the right leader at the center.  You see, even MeetUp church needs a solid leader who can communicate and inspire.  I'm banking he can do that without ever-more-creative 3-week teaching series.

Raking Data

Yesterday I raked a lot of leaves.

Raking leaves and analyzing data share a number of similarities.

You don't rake leaves unless there are enough leaves to make it worth your while.  You don't analyze data unless you have enough of it to make it worth your while.

If you don't rake often you'll get blisters and you probably won't have the best tools.  You may even avoid the job.  If you don't analyze your data regularly you may find it hard to begin and painful to accomplish.

Gathering the data is hard work, but it isn't quite half the work.  You still have to do something with it.  Getting leaves in piles is not the end of the job.

If you have a lawn mower that bags debris you can cut your grass and get the leaves up at the same time.  If your information management systems are well designed analysis is built right in.

No one rakes leaves efficiently the first time.  There are tricks you learn from trail and error and from watching others.  Someone who rakes leaves for a living expends less energy and gets more done.  Analysis tools like Google Analytics are designed for websites with millions of hits a day.  You can leverage a tool like that even if you have a little church website.

There is a beautiful yard under there (you think).  You may find out the grass is dead when you pick up the dead leaves.  You always begin data analysis with an assumption.  Some people don't want to rake the data and find out the assumption is wrong.

In the end the analogy breaks down since data is useful stuff and dead leaves aren't very useful.  In both cases though you can get a sense of accomplishment when you look at the finished product and you bring order to chaos.

I have a lot of data to rake this next few weeks.  I need to know what I'm going to do with the data before I get it all piled up.  I need to list the questions that need answers, confront my assumptions, determine my goals, and mock up the final product before I start raking it together.